[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Ansan Star Village Marking its 10th anniversary this year, a light festival that runs year-round in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, is perfect for those seeking a break from the noise of city life. An 8,000 won entrance fee is all it takes to make a tranquil escape to Ansan Star Village. The park, which includes a garden and animal installations, opens from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., with the lights turned on every day at 5 p.m. from November through February. Admission is priced at 5,000 won for grade sc

Feb. 9, 2024

Everland beckons Lunar New Year holidaymakers

Everland -- South Korea’s largest theme park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province -- is offering special events ranging from fireworks to hands-on traditional and cultural activities during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday. Celebrating the Year of the Blue Dragon, Everland offers good luck message cards to all visitors at Everland’s Butterfly Garden and Carnival Square. The cards feature animation characters wishing health, happiness, love, bravery, wealth and more, allowing the visitors

Feb. 6, 2024

Travel back in time at retro destinations

Korea is not known for preserving its modern history, but there are still places where you can get a taste of 20th-century Korea. The Korea Tourism Organization this month recommended several travel destinations outside of Seoul that might evoke nostalgia among older travelers and entertain younger people with a time travel-like experience. Dongkwang Cinema in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province Located in the northern part of Gyeonggi Province, Dongducheon has long been famous as a US military bas

Feb. 3, 2024

Iksan offers cheap bus tours

This year may be the best time to tour around Iksan, an UNESCO World Heritage city, as the city presents an affordable bus tour service starting from February. Celebrating the Visit Iksan 2024 campaign, the city -- some 190 kilometers south of Seoul in North Jeolla Province -- offers three different bus tours for 2,000 won. The circular type bus tour operates on weekends and holidays, from 9:50 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. Departing from Iksan Station, the bus visits the city’s popular tourist destin

Feb. 2, 2024

First foreigners-only casino in 19 years to open on Saturday

The first foreigners-only casino in almost two decades is set to open on Saturday in Yeongjongdo, Incheon. Mohegan Inspire Resort, the integrated entertainment resort that will house the casino, confirmed its opening on Friday. The resort, Incheon's latest landmark, got its license from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Jan. 23 to open a new foreigners-only casino in South Korea for the first time in 19 years. Mohegan Inspire Resort’s casino is considered the country&rsqu

Feb. 2, 2024

[Around the hotels] Promotions and packages

Haevichi Hotel and Resorts unveils Lunar New Year gifts Haevichi Hotel and Resorts is offering new, limited-edition gift sets for the upcoming Lunar New Year's holiday. The sets include pine mushrooms, abalone in soy sauce, perilla oil bibim sauce and a hanwoo sukiyaki meal kit, handpicked by the chefs at Haevichi restaurants. Hanwoo refers to premium Korean beef. The Lunar New Year's gift sets are available on Haevichi’s official website. Gift sets can be ordered in person or by

Feb. 2, 2024

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Strawberries, tomatoes at Yulbom At Yulbom, a botanical garden in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, visitors can pick strawberries. Visitors have 30 minutes to pick up to 1 kilogram of strawberries at the daily market price, which is charged on top of the 5,000-won entrance fee. Making strawberry jelly or jam costs 15,000 won for a 600-milliliter bottle and a 500-gram jar of jam. Tomato picking is priced at 15,000 won for 1.2 kilograms, and making tomato gochujang, a Korean fermented chili paste,

Feb. 2, 2024

Culture Ministry, KTO to focus on experiential programs for young foreign travelers

Making Korea a tourism powerhouse and a sought-after travel destination among young overseas travelers will be the focus of Korea Tourism Organization this year. In a press conference with Korea Tourism Organization officials and 31 directors of the KTO’s overseas offices in central Seoul on Tuesday, Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Yu In-chon highlighted the importance of creating eye-catching tourism products and hosting exciting local festivals that allow travelers to truly experien

Jan. 31, 2024

KTO signs MOU for smartphone payment services

Chinese tourists will be able to enjoy more Alipay Plus-related travel and payment options starting in early February, according to the Korea Tourism Organization. Lee Hak-ju, executive vice president of the KTO's international tourism division, signed a memorandum of understanding on Jan. 24 with his Alipay Plus counterpart Chung Hyung-kwon -- general manager of South Korea, Australia and New Zealand -- at KTO Seoul Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Under the deal, two companies will promote smart

Jan. 27, 2024

Embrace Pyeongchang’s winter beauty at Samyang Roundhill

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- Pyeongchang, a popular summer getaway for families and friends who wish to escape the unrelenting heat, beckons even more holidaymakers in winter. Winter is also the season when Samyang Roundhill, among many farms and ski slopes here, becomes a go-to destination with its iconic wind turbines and seemingly unending snow-covered open grassland. While a number of programs -- including taking care of calves, border collies herding sheep and feeding sheep and ostriche

Jan. 27, 2024

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Rides & farm at E-World At E-World in Daegu, a one-day pass at a cost of 49,000 won, the most expensive of the ticket options, gives visitors access to everything they might want in a theme park, from attractions and a cinema to a farm and a park. Attractions include classics like go-karts, roller coasters, monorail tours and merry-go-rounds. Arcade games and a cinema, as well as periodic parades to entertain younger guests, are also available. There is even a farm and a park for alpacas

Jan. 26, 2024

Sejong Light Festival to be extended until mid-February

Light installations, lamps and lanterns for the Sejong Light Festival will stay in place through Feb. 18, giving people more time to enjoy the luminous nightscape of Sejong City. Though the 2023 Sejong Light Festival was initially scheduled to run through Dec. 31, 2023, Sejong had extended the annual light festival until Jan. 14. Recognizing the growing popularity of the festival, the city chose to extend the festival once again. “With the extended schedule, more Sejong residents and visit

Jan. 23, 2024

Sanggodae: Chuncheon’s icy winter phenomenon

CHUNCHEON, Gangwon Province -- From its regional delicacy dakgalbi -- spicy stir-fried chicken -- to the Legoland Korea Resort, Chuncheon does not disappoint as a top Korean tourist destination. The city, located some 100 kilometers from Seoul, has almost everything travelers of all ages could want -- popular cafes, restaurants, the country’s renowned Soyang River, lakes and mountains. Among both professional and amateur photographers, Chuncheon is a much sought-after spot, especially in w

Jan. 20, 2024

German Village plaza to be restricted until April

Namhae German Village, located in Namhae, South Gyeongsang Province, is scheduled to undergo a partial renovation starting on Feb. 13. The village has long been recognized for its distinctly foreign ambience in South Korea. Hoping to improve visitors' travel experience, Namhae German Village will replace the sidewalks and install a sound system around the village’s plaza, according to Namhae County on Thursday. Shops and facilities nearby the affected area, including Namhae German Exh

Jan. 19, 2024

[Photo News] Taebaeksan Mountain Snow Festival sculptures

Celebrating the Year of the Dragon, known as the “gapjin” year in the 60-year sexagenary cycle, the upcoming Taebaeksan Mountain Snow Festival presents a stunning, dragon-themed snow sculpture. As a popular motif in Korean art and myth, dragons symbolize power and are considered to be sacred gods that prevent misfortune and disaster. Snow sculptures aside, the Taebaeksan Mountain Snow Festival features exciting works of art from snow carving contests for university students, an igloo

Jan. 19, 2024

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Haeundae Lighting Festival Streets, markets and shops close to the popular Haeundae Beach in Busan will be lit up every day from 05:30 p.m. through midnight during the Haeundae Lighting Festival, which runs to the end of January. Visitors can get snaps at the photo zone and have them developed right away for a fee of 1,000 won or 2,000 won, depending on the size. Those who make a purchase at nearby markets and shops will receive raffle tickets. For more information, visit haeundae.go.kr/tour

Jan. 19, 2024

Spaceship-themed train package offers chance to visit space research center

Korail Tourism Development, a subsidiary of the Korea Railroad Corp., offers the chance to catch a glimpse of the country’s space industry and explore local tourism. According to Korail Travel on Wednesday, the "Space Science Train" (unofficial translation), a spaceship-themed train launched in 2023, is a two-day travel package featuring a visit to the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, as well as trips to popular tourist destinations and traditional markets in the south of the

Jan. 17, 2024

Winter dilemma: Enjoy the cold or stay warm?

Plunging temperatures draw mixed reactions. They may be great news for winter sports fans, but others wish to escape the cold, waiting for signs of spring. Following are some of the country’s popular weekend getaways that outdoor, adrenaline addicts and those sensitive to cold can enjoy, respectively. Vivaldi Park Resort Though the unexpected warm weather this year has disappointed some skiers, preventing them from enjoying the slopes to the fullest in December, Vivaldi Park Resort -- am

Jan. 15, 2024

Amsan Ice Festival canceled due to warm winter

Ice festival lovers living in the country’s southeastern Yeongnam area, which covers South Gyeongsang Province, North Gyeongsang Province, Daegu, Busan and Ulsan, will need to travel further afield to enjoy this year’s winter festival, as the Amsan Ice Festival has been canceled due to unusually warm winter temperatures. The Amsan Ice Festival, which was scheduled to take place in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, is one of the most visited winter festivals in the Yeongnam area,

Jan. 14, 2024

Wintertime fun fill tranquil towns

POCHEON, Gyeonggi Province -- January may still be a time of hibernation for bears, snakes, frogs and others, but that is not so the case for some villages in northern areas of South Korea. Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, home to the Republic of Korea V Corps, is seldom visited by outsiders other than those visiting to see their friends, sons or brothers serving their mandatory military duty. However, things change in the winter months when this quiet locale becomes crowded with people from around

Jan. 13, 2024